Framework for Excellence Conference 2019

On the 19th-21st March 2019, The Manufacturing Institute will be hosting the Framework for Excellence Conference in Manchester – which will function as a double celebration of our 25th birthday and 10 years as a Shingo Affiliate.

The Framework for Excellence Conference draws on the lessons we’ve learnt over two decades working with thousands of organisations. Its purpose is to demonstrate to senior leaders how the pursuit of excellence requires taking your whole organisation on a challenging journey.

The conference focuses on three themes;

Create the cause

Mobilise the movement

Build the community

Download our conference whitepaper to learn more. Places are limited to 250 delegates and we have had a significant number of pre-registrations, so book early to avoid disappointment.

Day 3

Join us on the afternoon of 19th March for a preamble into the conference kicking off with a Leadership Masterclass where we consider the key challenges facing the role of leadership today.

The conference officially opens at 17:30 on Tuesday 19th March, allowing time to register, network and take advantage of the refreshments available.

An opening address and keynote speakers, John Steele and Martin McCourt, will take the stage at 18:50 and 19:40 respectively, kicking off two days of stimulating discussion led by the most experienced and innovative personnel in global manufacturing. From 20:30, attendees will have the opportunity to network as the evening winds down with food and drink.

TBC

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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Martin McCourt - Former CEO of Dyson

Martin McCourt has spent over 40 years working at the heart of British-based manufacturing, design and marketing for quality brands such as Dyson, Mars, Duracell, Toshiba and Pelikan.
Martin was the CEO of Dyson for 15 years, the ideas to market-leading consumer products maker. As CEO, he devised and implemented a strategy that transformed the company from a single product, single market producer into one where 80% of the business came from over 60 markets around the world. In that time he increased UK skilled jobs, grew profits to over £300m and enabled James Dyson to keep on inventing. In 2011 Dyson hit £1bn revenue for the first time.

Bookending our Framework For Excellence Conference will be keynote speeches – delivered by some of the most influential and experienced manufacturing personnel in the UK right now.

Heading up Day 1 is the venerable Martin McCourt – the former Dyson CEO with a life’s work in manufacturing.

After 40 years in the industry, Martin has some magnificent and inspiring stories to tell – and it’s an honour to hand the mic across to him to get our first ever Framework For Excellence Conference underway.

Here’s a bit more about him…

Tell us about yourself and your career

I have worked in British-based manufacturing, design and marketing for quality brands such as Dyson, Mars, Duracell, Toshiba and Pelikan over four decades.

I was the CEO of Dyson for 15 years, devising and implementing a strategy that transformed the company from a single-product, single-market producer into one where roughly 80% of the business came from over 60 markets around the world. In that time, I increased UK skilled jobs, grew profits to over £300m and enabled James Dyson to keep on inventing.

I was named UK Business Leader of the Year 2010, and today I serve as Chairman of several organisations including FreeFlow Technologies, Lightfoot, The Dudson Group, The Glen Dimplex Group, and The Learning Curve Group. I’m also a Non-Executive Director and investor for HeadBox – a web-based platform which enables the sharing of inspiring places for people to have meetings.

What does operational excellence mean to you?

To me, operational excellence means that the organisation delivers what it commits to do, on time, in full, and within agreed cost perimeters. It’s not easy – in my experience it eludes most businesses!

What have been your biggest career challenges to date?

I encountered my greatest career challenge when managing the scaling up of Dyson, globally, between 1997 and 2011.

It was equal parts dangerous, exciting and exhausting. My team were simply amazing, and the overall result proved that leadership is all about achieving results through the efforts of others.

What’s been your biggest highlight or achievement so far?

The main highlight for me has been growing Dyson from £35m revenue to over £1bn in less than 15 years, multiplying product categories and entering almost 60 markets around the world.

In your experience, what do you believe is the key to furthering continuous improvement in an organisation?

The key for me is to have an environment where the creation of ideas is encouraged, where young talent is nurtured (and given the space to operate), where passion and belief flows, and there’s a determination to win.

It’s crucial to be properly led and hard-driven, savouring the victories briefly before getting on with the next challenge. It’s also important to learn from failures. Don’t dwell on them – move on!

What can people expect from your talk at the conference?

My talk will illuminate what can be achieved even under the most extreme, competitive circumstances. It will also highlight the sharp contrast between outdated organisation methods with those contemporary ones that are driving change, disruption and result.

Martin McCourt will be delivering his keynote speech on the first day of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019.

Tickets are available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

With forty years of experience in UK manufacturing, Martin is the perfect person to kick off our inaugural excellence-focused event – and he’ll be drawing on lessons he’s learned during his time at the likes of Dyson, Duracell, Toshiba, Pelikan and Mars.

He’ll be kicking the conference into action by discussing achievement in testing circumstances, and what businesses can do to yield excellent results even when their backs are against the wall.

“My keynote speech will reflect on the fact that great success isn’t out of reach for any manufacturing organisation – even when times are seemingly tough on the surface.

“It will look at how modern processes make transformation not just possible but a reality.

“During my speech, I will be covering a wide range of examples to remind delegates of how great we Brits are as a nation when it comes to manufacturing – as well as the general importance of being disruptive in the industry.”

Martin McCourt will be delivering his keynote speech on the first day of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019.

Tickets are available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

John Steele - Former CEO of UK Sport

John is the founder and owner of Unforgiving Minute. He has a unique blend of experience in creating and leading high performing teams, developed as a professional sports coach and as Chief Executive in the private, public, and not for profit sectors. He served as an army officer having been trained at the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to lead teams in high pressure environments. On leaving the army he worked in the corporate world before becoming a professional rugby player.

Bookending our Framework For Excellence Conference will be keynote speeches – delivered by some of the most influential and experienced manufacturing personnel in the UK right now.

Our second speaker of the conference will be former CEO of UK Sport John Steele. He will provide a unique outlook on operational excellence by drawing upon his vast experience in international athletics.

Here’s a bit more about John and some of the topics he’ll be covering at the upcoming conference.

Tell us about yourself and your career

My career started in the military. I attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and went on to serve as an army officer, getting my first taste of real leadership.

I subsequently spent some time in the corporate world as a chartered surveyor working in property development and investment. I then became a professional rugby player and coach, taking part in various matches against New Zealand, South Africa and Australia – and as Northampton Saints coach winning the European Cup.

In later years, I was fortunate to be headhunted to go into the Olympic and Paralympic environment – becoming the Chief Executive of UK Sport.

Other leadership roles in sport have included Chief Executive of the Rugby Football Union and the Youth Sport Trust, and I currently serve as Director of Sport at Loughborough University and Chairman of the Institute of Sport (which means I’m still involved with Team GB).

Overall, I’ve had various leadership roles in 13 different Olympic and Paralympic Games and loved them all!

What does operational excellence mean to you?

Operational excellence, almost by definition, has to be about a high-quality output. I’m a passionate pragmatist! I believe it’s about getting results in the right way. Winning at all costs is something I do not subscribe to. The way success is achieved is as important as the result. An unethical victory is no victory. There are many cultural challenges in the sports high performance system at the moment. Operational excellence involves building an ethical framework that ensures success whilst setting out and preserving key values.

What have been your biggest career challenges to date?

Following the success of London 2012, we faced the tricky challenge of setting a new vision and goal for Rio 2016. It would have been easy to rest on our laurels, but we set ourselves a hurdle that no other country had ever previously cleared – that was to improve on our performance following a home games. Typically, host nations tend to dip in the rankings during the next event as they don’t have the luxury of home advantage. But we set out to win more medals than we had in London – and we did it.

That was without doubt a pretty edgey challenge. Occasionally we asked ourselves “What are we doing? Why are we trying to surpass expectations by quite so much?”. But we dared, it came off, and it was a really satisfying achievement.

What’s been your biggest highlight or achievement so far?

What we did in Rio is definitely one of the best highlights I have been involved with.

Looking beyond that back to my coaching days, winning the European Cup was personally very special. There was absolutely no room for error at any stage in the tournament, and being crowned the best in Europe was something extraordinary.

In your experience, what do you believe is the key to furthering continuous improvement in an organisation?

It sounds like a cliché, but continuous improvement really is all about people at the end of the day.

To get the most from a team, you need to unlock discretionary performance – where people go above and beyond what is normally required of them. For people to be prepared to do this, it’s important for you to inspire, motivate, build relationships and develop loyalty within your organisation so that they are passionate about giving more.

If you can look after your people and inspire their commitment, you will fly. This is where leadership comes into its own.

What can people expect from your talk at the conference?

I’ll be sharing leadership experiences and reflections – both good and bad – from my time in sport.

There are all kinds of lessons and mistakes involved in every transformational journey, and we experienced lots of nervous and exciting moments in various Olympic and Paralympic Games.

I’ll be reflecting on leadership in the context of my career and looking at how these experiences tie in with the conference’s overall theme of operational excellence.

John Steele will be delivering his keynote speech on the first day of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019.

Tickets are available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

John Steele: Lessons In Leadership

The second keynote speaker of The Manufacturing Institute’s inaugural Framework For Excellence conference will be John Steele, the former Chief Executive of UK Sport and an instrumental figure in Team GB’s recent Olympic successes.

Following several years serving in both the armed forces and corporate world, John also represented Northampton and England as a professional rugby player before helping to steer the Saints to a magnificent European Cup victory at the turn of the millennium.

John will be analysing operational excellence from outside of the manufacturing world – reflecting on his experiences of continuous improvement across international athletics and beyond.

“My speech will be about leadership first and foremost,” explains John.

“I’ll be looking back at some of the most instrumental experiences of my career in sport and reflecting on disappointments and achievements in equal measure.

“I’ll also talk about the different steps involved in a major transformational journey, using my time at UK Sport and with Team GB (at the Rio Olympics) as inspiration.”

John Steele will be delivering his keynote speech on the first day of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019.

Tickets are available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Day two of the Conference will begin with tea and coffee from 08:30 and two keynote speeches – with attendees then moving into one of two breakout sessions.

Our final keynote speaker will round off proceedings, and the conference is set to conclude at 17:00.

All delegates are welcome to join us on the evening of the 20th March, from 17.30 – 19.30, for a Leadership Debate with a panel of distinguished business leaders to discuss some of the key challenges facing organisations today.

Ahead of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework for Excellence Conference, we’re talking to some of the speakers and industry experts who are set to star at the event.

Here, Chairman of the Institute of Export and International Trade, Terry Scuoler, provides a preview of his upcoming speech, together with an insight into his fascinating manufacturing career.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your current role

I am currently the Chairman of the Institute of Export and International Trade and Industry Advisor to Santander. I have been in these roles since I stepped down as CEO of the Engineering Employers’ Federation (EEF) in December 2017.

I graduated from Glasgow University with a degree in economics and spent five years as an infantry officer before going into industry.

Following managerial roles at Amec Foster Wheeler and BAE Systems, I led a successful management buy-in of Ferranti Technologies and served as Managing Director there for 11 years. I succeeded in turning the company around into a highly successful and sustainably profitable business.

In 2010, I became the CEO of the EEF where I helped raise the profile of British manufacturing and engineering with government and other major stakeholders. I was also privileged to sit on a number of ministerial committees including the Prime Minister’s and the Brexit Secretary’s Business Advisory Committees.

Interestingly, and given the current political environment, I also chaired the European Employers’ Organisation for the Metal, Manufacturing and Technology companies as CEO of the EEF from 2014-17 – representing some 230,000 companies and over 35 million employees from 25 EU countries. This involved me amongst other issues, in engaging at the top table in Brussels and other EU capitals in trying to ensure a smooth UK exit from the EU.

Whether or not our efforts will prove to be successful remains to be seen.

What does operational excellence mean to you?

There have been several instances in my career when I have had to lead from the front. In every case it has involved leadership in motivating staff and creating a winning and team culture. It is therefore all about people – how to get the best out of them, how to enhance skills and confidence at every level, and how to retain them in a competitive employment marketplace.

It is also very much about technology and having the courage to invest in R&D, plant and equipment and training, and doing so counter-cyclically. When markets are depressed and your competitors are running for cover, it is often the best and right time to invest so that your business is fit and ready for the upturn or to diversify into new markets.

Perhaps less dramatically, it is also about the old-fashioned discipline of monitoring and measuring what you do and paying attention to detail – process control is how the manufacturing textbooks would describe it.

Above all, it is surely and simply an attitude of mind – but a bit of luck also never goes amiss.

What have been the biggest challenges along the way?

One of the biggest challenges was becoming Managing Director of Ferranti Technologies, based in Oldham. The company had experienced years of decline and loss of jobs, and morale was at rock bottom. Unemployment in what was a traditional cotton mill town was high. Employees had been let down by successive teams of managers and simply could not envisage a positive future.

In order to turn the company around, we had to make further initial cuts – but these were linked to a clear, longer-term growth strategy and visible investment, which gradually won over the staff. Over the next few years I am proud to say that we then substantially increased the number and quality of jobs as we grew the business.

I also have to say that when the employees realised that they were part of an organisation with a future (and one that cared about them and their families), their response and commitment was outstanding.

What’s been your biggest highlight or achievement so far?

Clearly the turnaround at Ferranti is something I am very proud of. Another is, as CEO of the Engineering Employers’ Federation, helping to raise the profile of British manufacturing and engineering with government, in Parliament, and with other important stakeholders.

Bringing issues such as the need for investment, training and skills for people of all ages, good corporate governance, increasing levels of employment and employee satisfaction to decision-makers, and making a positive impact has been a critical part of my tenure at the EEF.

As you can imagine, it has not always been plain sailing but it has been a fascinating journey.

What plans do you have to further continuous improvement?

As Chairman of the Institute of Export and International Trade and a strategic advisor to a number of businesses, my role is to support the executive management team in setting strategic direction, ensuring good corporate governance and, where appropriate, mentoring staff to help them develop as individuals and team players.

A key element of any strategic plan and management development must be the need for continuous improvement linked with clear objectives and feedback loops.

While there are always challenges, it can also be very rewarding and enjoyable.

What can people expect from your talk at the conference?

The speech clearly needs to be topical, and I will therefore prepare it much nearer to the conference.

While the major industrial and economic issues of the day will be covered in the context of the themes of the conference, there will be a strong focus on the critical importance of creating an environment of continuous improvement, an enterprise culture, and the need for training and upskilling at all levels.

More generally, I will explain why it is so important for the UK to remain a leading manufacturing and technological force in the world – our future prosperity as a nation depends on it.

You can see Terry Scuoler deliver his talk at The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, with tickets available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Tony Cooke

VP Human Resources, Region West, Global HR - adidas

Tony Cooke joined adidas, area North as HR Director in July 2001 with the responsibility for all HR functions throughout the UK, Ireland, Belgium and Netherlands. He was formerly HR Director of William Baird PLC and prior to this held senior HR Management roles at GEC Plessey and the National Westminster Bank. In 2006 the adidas Group grew further with the integration of the Reebok brand, and in turn Tony was appointed Senior Director HR, North Europe. In 2018 he was appointed VPHR for Region West, assuming responsibility for the Nordic countries, Iberia & France. Tony is responsible for the organisation’s award winning CSR strategy; initiating many projects for local and international charities. He is also the driving force behind the accolade of becoming ‘Britain’s Healthiest Company’ 5 years in succession and is the Company sponsor for Inclusion & Diversity . Tony is married with 3 children and is an avid Liverpool Football Club supporter.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Terry Scuoler CBE

Chairman - The Institute of Export & International Trade

Terry was appointed Chairman of the Institute of Export and International Trade in November 2017. Prior to taking up this role, he served for eight years as CEO of the Engineering Employers’ Federation (EEF), during which time he helped to substantially raise the profile of British manufacturing and engineering with government and other major stakeholders.

In 2000, Terry led a management buy-in of Ferranti Technologies, a former underperforming business unit of Ferranti International. He turned the company around into a highly profitable and successful business – the success of which he puts down to a strong commitment to investment in technology and a focus on training and developing skills at all levels.

Terry has sat on numerous ministerial committees including the Secretary of State’s Brexit Business Advisory Committee. Through his role at EEF, he has been a major contributor to a number of government white papers and reviews, including those on industrial strategy and corporate governance.

His passion and commitment to manufacturing and the enterprise culture is undoubted, and we are sure he will deliver what is set to be a very interesting talk at the upcoming Framework for Excellence Conference.

Tony Cooke joined adidas, area North as HR Director in July 2001 with the responsibility for all HR functions throughout the UK, Ireland, Belgium and Netherlands. He was formerly HR Director of William Baird PLC and prior to this held senior HR Management roles at GEC Plessey and the National Westminster Bank. In 2006 the adidas Group grew further with the integration of the Reebok brand, and in turn Tony was appointed Senior Director HR, North Europe. In 2018 he was appointed VPHR for Region West, assuming responsibility for the Nordic countries, Iberia & France. Tony is responsible for the organisation’s award winning CSR strategy; initiating many projects for local and international charities. He is also the driving force behind the accolade of becoming ‘Britain’s Healthiest Company’ 5 years in succession and is the Company sponsor for Inclusion & Diversity . Tony is married with 3 children and is an avid Liverpool Football Club supporter.

Ahead of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework for Excellence conference, we’re

talking to some of the speakers and industry experts who are set to star at the event.

Charlotte Dickerson, Transformation & Engagement Manager for global technology organisation Ricoh, will be starring alongside her colleague Rob Bland (Continuous Improvement Specialist) on the second day of the conference. Here, she offers us an insight into her role at the multinational technology manufacturer, as well as what we can expect to hear from her in March.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your career

I took on responsibility for the Continuous Improvement Function at Ricoh in 2011, this was blended alongside responsibilities for learning and development excellence across our manufacturing sites and includes an external consultancy offering.Our approach to continuous improvement is to engage all employees, so my background in HR was beneficial.

More recently, my focus includes the management of our transformation programme and how we can engage all employees in our digital manufacturing journey.

What does operational excellence mean to Ricoh?

We have an internally developed operational excellence system – we call it our ‘Robust Operations’ model.

It’s all about having solid foundations in place so that we can produce excellent results across safety, environmental, quality, cost and delivery metrics – no matter what the external circumstances are.

Within our model, we consider people, process and results, with a stretch towards being operationally excellent in the digital age.

Embedded throughout is the Ricoh Way Production System which sets key fundamental behaviours encouraging all employees to engage in continually improving towards operational excellence.

What have been your biggest challenges along the way?

Back in 2005, although we won a major UK award, a key stakeholder highlighted our inefficiencies. We had two factories in Europe – ourselves and one in France – and we were tasked with having to turn things around very quickly in order to keep the UK site globally competitive.

This is where we began the journey to engage all employees in terms of continuous improvement – which has transformed us into not just an efficient plant, but a leading one within our global group.

Through a shared sense of purpose and measurable objectives that were embedded into the key business strategy, we started to achieve a state where continuous improvement was an everyday habit, with employees being empowered to make positive change.

We developed and integrated standardised systems, processes and engagement tools to support our transformation. But, most importantly, we ensured alignment to our strategy, established leadership champions, and created a culture where improvement was rewarded and recognised. All these factors were critical to ensuring the continuous improvement culture was sustainable and not just a ‘flavour of the month’.

There are many new challenges ahead too. We’re a business development centre as well as a manufacturing plant, which means we constantly need to be looking at shaping industrial solutions for the future and finding ways to embrace digital manufacturing principles.

What’s been your biggest highlight or achievement so far?

Our biggest recent achievement was being declared a winner at the Ricoh Way global awards and, within that awards programme, being recognised as the group’s global leader in toner manufacturing.This makes us a very attractive factory and helps secure the future of our core business.

Over the last couple of years, we have successfully diversified into new business areas, including additive manufacturing, inkjet technology and setting up Ricoh’s first customer experience centre.Our innovation led to our new Business Development Centre status, further securing our position in the Ricoh Group.

What is the key to furthering continuous improvement?

Employee engagement is key to furthering continuous improvement. Everyone needs to be working in the same direction, understand their part to play, and have the necessary skills and tools to make a difference. It’s also crucial to build the right culture in terms of leadership and behaviours.

We are now on a digital journey at Ricoh, with a new cause to be an industrial solutions leader. Our sustained culture of continuous improvement is paramount to our success.

We’ll be planning the talk much closer to the time, but will focus on the importance of engaging employees in the operational excellence journey.

You can see Charlotte Dickerson and Rob Bland deliver their talk at The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, with tickets available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Happy to be contacted on social/contacted about the magazine

Jan Berg

Production System Manager - Fearless Excellence

Introducing Jan Berg: Volvo Production System Manager

Ahead of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework for Excellence conference, we’re talking to some of the speakers and industry experts who are set to star at the event. Here, Jan Berg of Volvo explains in detail what operational excellence means to his business and what you can expect from his breakout session at the conference.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I was born and raised in the small town of Köping in Sweden – an industrial centre where the best gearbox in the world was made.

I now live in Göteborg with my fiancée and three children. I am looking forward to visiting England to discuss operational excellence in greater detail at The Manufacturing Institute’s conference.

What’s your role at Volvo?

I’ve been working primarily in operations and direct production, in both improvement and industrial footprint projects.

Over the past fifteen years, I have been working with Volvo Production System as both a local co-ordinator and manager, conducting reviews all over the world.

I have great experience of Swedish management in a global world, as well as implementing lean processes. I have overseen 1,600 people in a single plant and performed various management duties.

What does operational excellence mean to Volvo?

We are working towards operational excellence every single day and we’ve seen good evolution in every area – but there is a lot of work still to be done.

We must continue improving our mobile thinking. This is the next step for us. It is quite common for organisations to get stuck in a particular stage, and now we must work hard to take advantage of the multicultural element within our plants to do something new and move forwards.

What have been your biggest challenges along the way?

Communication is one of the biggest challenges in the search for excellence. It is important to learn how to have open discussions as an organisation, as this can be the difference between a mediocre business and an excellent one.

Volvo has always been known for its great products, but we need to improve our common knowledge and reduce complacency through regular benchmarking.

What’s been your biggest highlight or achievement so far?

Our KPIs are really going in the right direction, and we’re seeing improvements in quality in both delivery and finance.

We are certainly moving towards excellence, and whilst we’re proud of what we have achieved so far, there is a lot more work to do. That’s the challenge – to keep the spark growing here and enjoy more success in the future.

What is the key to furthering continuous improvement?

I think we need to take more inspiration from the East when it comes to production. As westerners, we don’t pay close attention to details in quite the same way as those on the other side of the world.

This is something we need to address. By prioritising value-added activities and observation, organisations can truly progress.

What can people expect from your talk at the conference?

I will be offering my own personal perspective on how Volvo is currently operating as a company, and how a product- and business-driven organisation like ours can achieve excellence in the long term.

I will look to explain where we are on the journey and what we need to do to move further along.

You can see Jan Berg deliver his seminar at The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, with tickets available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Ahead of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework for Excellence conference, we’re talking to some of the speakers and industry experts who are set to star at the event. Here, George Donaldson of Devro gives an insight into how operational excellence has played an important part in the business, and what you can look forward to from his session at the conference.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Devro

The key focus of my career has been coaching businesses to improve themselves. Much of my background is in government and newspapers as an engineering manager, and I first got involved in operational excellence when working for Toronto Star in the 1990s.

Then in 2007 I moved onto the role of Group Continuous Improvement Manager at News International. In 2014, we won the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. This was a huge achievement – we were the first business in the UK tand the first newspaper manufacturer in the world to be awarded it. I’ve been at Devro since 2016, helping them work towards their ambition of becoming the UK’s first food industry manufacturer to achieve Shingo Prize recognition.

What doesenterprise excellence mean to Devro?

It’s absolutely vital. By engaging everybody, you not only achieve recognised standards of excellence, but better the business too. Having it in place means we create a safer environment for all our employees and provide better quality to the customer, which in turn ensures we are profitable. Devro has broken all the records for health and safety, quality and production performance.

If you go down the Shingo route, you need to realise that it’s the employees that make the difference. Those who understand this have triumphed.

How have you gone about achieving operational excellence?

We had a plan from the start. Our first step was to create a vision with leaders, managers and associates, and then to take everyone off-site for one day to discuss our intentions and anchor everyone in ‘The Devro Way’ – this isn’t easy when you have 500 employees! There were 25 one-day sessions in total.

We’ve now created 17 Process Flow and Value Stream integrated teams eo(circa 300 leaders, managers and associates). nup gThe main purpose for these teams is to identify opportunities to protect our people, product and planet, and reduce waste (non-value adding activities). It’s a new way of thinking for them, but now they have continuous improvement underpinning everything they do.

What have been your biggest challenges along the way?

The biggest challenge is most definitely people. Many have seen implemented changes and promised ideas come and go – when they’ve heard and seen it all before, it’s difficult to engage them.

That’s why we’ve kept our attention on our goal, and we have built trust by delivering on what we said we’d do. When those who were initially sceptical see this, they come on board. The winning team has a voice, so we’ve made sure to invest in everyone and listen to their ideas.

What’s been your biggest highlight or achievement so far?

Winning the Shingo Prize in 2014 was huge. We didn’t go in it to win it – in 2010, we started understanding the Shingo Model, and the team just really got on board.

Now I’m helping Devro, who have the same aspirations. We’ve been on the journey for two years now, and it’s humbling to see people become more engaged and really enjoy their jobs.

What plans do you have to further continuous improvement?

We are currently in the third phase – transition. This makes continuous improvement become systemic and a part of everyday life. We’ll be setting up and introducing it to five more teams.

It’s now about others taking a step forward. 10% of our workforce volunteered to be on the steering team for this phase – it’s fantastic to see them determined to help the business reach its goals.

What can people expect from your talk at the conference?

It will discuss the steps required to engage employees – whilst most talk about it, they’re not certain how to achieve it. Much of my speech will be intertwined with The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework for Excellence whitepaper.

I’ve called my talk ‘Seeing the Gap’ – there’s often an opening for engaging employees, but the scope is not realised. I’ll hope to get the audience thinking about this.

You can see George Donaldson deliver his seminar at The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, with tickets available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Ahead of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework for Excellence conference, we’re talking to some of the speakers and industry experts who are set to star at the event. Here, Aidan Murphy of Ipsen discusses how operational excellence has been a core part of improving the business, together with what to anticipate from his session at the conference.

Tell us a bit about your role at Ipsen

I’ve been with Ipsen for over two decades now, covering a lot of ground in many different manufacturing leadership roles. I am now their Executive Vice President, Technical Operations.

As it’s a global company with an international presence, I’ve also had exposure to different parts of the business over the years. Working in Ireland, China and France has given me the opportunity to see the distinct ways in which they operate.

What does operational excellence mean to Ipsen?

I think ‘operational excellence’ is too one-dimensional a term; it’s far more than this. ‘Enterprise excellence’ would be more fitting.

We’ve been striving for it for three years now, and it’s very similar to The Manufacturing Institute’s philosophy. If you don’t get the culture right, then there’s no point. It’s shown us how important building strong leadership is, as well as ensuring people believe in your vision. With this in place, you can produce fantastic results.

How have you gone about achieving operational excellence?

You can’t just expect your team to understand the business’ vision, so we’ve made every effort to help them see what the future could look like, and be excited about it as well. We’ve been working on process, place and increasing competencies.

Visual management has been key in getting engagement at a high level. Staff are now able to explain our vision to whoever they may meet, and they feel that they’re part of something special. It’s incredibly empowering to belong to such an organisation.

Working to achieve enterprise excellence is not everyone’s cup of tea, so it’s been a challenge working out how to take the sceptics along. Different ideas and different statistics are brought in all the time, so you have to figure out how to combat the apathy in terms of value to people.

We’ve had to completely transform a culture, and that can take a number of years. We’ve certainly found that patience is key.

What’s been your biggest highlight or achievement so far?

It’s been fantastic to see team members take a great deal of pride in their work, and genuinely want to succeed.

This isn’t something that’s been felt only internally either – visitors, to all of our sites, have said they’ve noticed a completely different spirit and level of energy and engagement.

What plans do you have to further continuous improvement?

Continuous improvement will be an ongoing part of how we operate as a business. Our site in the UK was awarded the Shingo Bronze Medallion, which few companies have.

There’s a Silver Medallion too, along with the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. We will strive to have all our sites awarded.

What can people expect from your talk at the conference?

It will be a very visual presentation. There will be lots of short, engaging videos where our teams speak about the journey to enterprise excellence and achieving that sense of culture. The theme for my slot is ‘impact through people’.

You can see Aidan Murphy deliver his seminar at The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, with tickets available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Sarah Jardine

Senior Director of Manufacturing - Journey to Excellence

Introducing Sarah Jardine: Optos Senior Director of Manufacturing

Ahead of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework for Excellence Conference, we’re

talking to some of the speakers and industry experts who are set to star at the event.

Here, Sarah Jardine chronicles her rise to the top of Optos – a Dunfermline-based business specialising in the design, development and manufacturing of ultra-widefield retinal imaging devices.

Tell us a bit about yourself

Growing up, I was always a proper Big Bang theory geek. I got my BSc (Hons) in Laser Physics and Optoelectronics from the University of Strathclyde (who gave me Alumna of the Year) and my MSc in Laser Engineering from Heriot-Watt University. I went on to work in a technical background designing laser rangefinders for tanks, Apache helicopters and ground-based special forces.

I moved to Optos in January 2000 and I’ve played a role in making the company more manufacturing-focused, spending years developing skills and knowledge across multiple departments.

In 2009, the Optos senior team was reorganised and I was offered the role of Plant Manager by the new COO. This was one of the best things I ever did. He (the new COO) allowed me to learn, make mistakes, take big steps, and understand the mechanics of running a manufacturing business and what was required to transform company culture.

What does operational excellence mean to Optos?

At the start, Optos never had any ambition to make anything. When I first arrived, the business focused purely on design and development – they outsourced manufacturing to other companies. When we did start production, we didn’t really shout about it at all. Manufacturing was like our dirty little secret.

It became clear that whilst people were connected with our products, they weren’t connected with the business and the manufacturing side of things. In the past ten years, though, we’ve changed that and pushed production to the forefront – becoming part of the manufacturing community in Scotland.

I wanted to make Optos a place you could come to see excellent manufacturing – and I think we’ve achieved that. We make a very innovative and difficult product, and with no direct competitors, it’s up to us to set our own bar. For us, operational excellence is about being the best we can be.

A lot of effort has gone into making this a great place to work. We need everyone to be engaged. Back in the day, we were totally focused on how many things we made. Now it’s more about how we make those things to begin with– prioritising behaviour as well as results.

What have been your biggest challenges along the way?

Nobody trusted the management initially – which now included me! Building up that level of trust over those first few years was certainly one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever experienced.

I was a technical expert, but I was still learning as far as manufacturing was concerned – and all of a sudden, I had lots of people looking to me for answers. I had to work hard to adjust my approach. It was no longer about just giving people the answers; I had to create an environment where we all found these answers together.

What’s been your biggest highlight or achievement so far?

The best part of my job is getting to show off the great work everyone else does – and we’ve had some real success by focusing on high value rather than high volume.

There was a period where we made 50 brand new devices, and within five months we had to have capacity for 200 brand new products on top. Somehow, we did it. It all came down to thinking differently and trying new approaches.

The achievements of the team have been incredible. They’re always working towards constant improvement.

What is the key to furthering continuous improvement?

There are three elements to continuous improvement in my opinion: build a support structure, make it easy for people to do the right things, and focus on behaviour.

I spent two years in this role trying to figure out why things weren’t working, and I realised I needed to put a support structure in place that makes it easy for the team to do the right things, and gave them a ‘voice’ and an input into how we get things done.

That’s why I stopped creating metrics that focused on the results instead of how people behaved – including me.

What can people expect from your talk at the conference?

I think that the most difficult aspects of an operational excellence journey are just as interesting and important as the successes.

I’ll be talking about the journey we’ve been on as a business and including all the pros and cons of that experience, making sure to highlight what we’ve learned and offer information that people can take away and use.

My talk will also offer practical examples of how we went about making these changes –as well as focusing on why.

You can see Sarah deliver her lecture at The Manufacturing Institute’sFramework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, with tickets available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Ahead of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework for Excellence conference, we’re

talking to some of the speakers and industry experts who are set to star at the event.

Here, Managing Director of Siemens’ Digital Factory division Brian Holliday discusses his role at the automation conglomerate, offering us a preview of his upcoming discussion points at the conference – including how technology plays a key role in enabling manufacturing businesses to instil operational excellence.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I started my career as an apprentice with Texas Instruments, after completing a Computer Systems Electrical Engineering degree from Cardiff University and an MBA from Manchester Business School.

I have worked at Siemens for almost a decade and I am currently Managing Director for the Digital Factory, which serves the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors. I also chair the Electronic Systems Council to help represent the interests of the UK electronic systems sector overall.

What does operational excellence mean to Siemens Digital Factory?

There is a constant focus here on improvement. We think in lean terms so that we can continue to grow as an organisation, maximising output and increasing cost-efficiency.

We’re always looking to enhance processes, and we do this by sharing insights on operational topics right through to strategic issues – examining the different ways we invest and grow. We also keep a close eye on changes in market dynamics.

There’s certainly a broad spectrum of continuous improvement and operational excellence wrapped up in what we do here.

What have been your biggest challenges along the way?

There have been people challenges, competitive challenges, and disruption in terms of technology. Integrating new tech is an example of something you’ve got to do well in order to succeed.

The journey that we’re on is one that’s seeing us acquire heavily industrial digital technology, and we are implementing that at scale in our broad manufacturing. There are always new challenges arising along the way.

What’s been your biggest highlight or achievement so far?

Everyone at the company can be proud of how the Digital Factory division has become a market leader for automation technology. We’ve continued to build on our strong position too, growing significantly in a hugely competitive market space.

From a personal perspective, I’m delighted to have been able to contribute to the domestic manufacturing sector and play a role in the discussion of what we need to do in terms of skills and investment.

What is the key to furthering continuous improvement?

What we’ve realised is that being lean alone isn’t enough anymore. Manufacturing businesses need to create efficient processes that aren’t just lean, but are digital.

We’ve got to go beyond merely looking at quality, costs and customer delivery, and start to think much more about the introduction of digital technology at scale – new ways of doing things.

A lot of continuous improvement increasingly comes down to solving problems through industrial apps, and using analytics development at pace.

It’s important to keep looking at fresh approaches and considering the wide array of new tech that’s constantly becoming available.

What can people expect from your talk at the conference?

I’ll be talking about how manufacturing businesses can become more competitive organisations within their marketplace by deploying the right tech in the right places.

I’ll also discuss how to take people with you on these new journeys.

You can see Brian Holliday deliver his talk at The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, with tickets available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Ahead of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework for Excellence conference, we’re

talking to some of the speakers and industry experts who are set to star at the event.

Here, Mark Davies reflects on a HR career within manufacturing spanning two decades, discussing his current role at agrochemical company Nufarm and the topics he’ll be addressing at our upcoming conference.

Tell us a bit about yourself

First and foremost, I am a people person and I have a simple view that we spend most of our time at work. Therefore, we should try to be the best that we can be and find enjoyment in what we do.

I’ve worked in the manufacturing industry for twenty years, starting out on the shop floor and making my way into Personnel (as it was called back then). Since learning my HR trade at Burtons Foods, I’ve progressed into senior HR roles at some fantastic companies – privately owned, FTSE 250 and global blue chip organisations.

After spending seven challenging, yet very enjoyable, years at Shingo Prize Winner Ultraframe UK Ltd (where I worked alongside former Managing Director of The Manufacturing Institute, Mike Price), I wanted to broaden my HR and commercial experience within global organisations. This led to me heading up HR for the UK & Ireland Supply Chain at SCA Hygiene Products, a global consumer goods and paper company, followed by a Regional HR Business Partner role at Unilever where I partnered three sites across the UK & Ireland.

In 2014, I moved to Nufarm UK Ltd to head up the HR team in the UK & Ireland. This has been such a rewarding role; which has seen us raise the bar significantly when it comes to the people agenda. Our investment in people development at all levels of the organisation has seen us receive external recognition from the Chemical Industries Association. More importantly, performance has improved across the KPI’s of safety, output, quality and cost, and our people are actively engaged in our continued success.

What does operational excellence mean to Nufarm?

For Nufarm, operational excellence is about delivering in five key areas: Safety (which is always our number one priority and we have a target of zero harm), Quality, Cost, Delivery and Morale.

Achieving excellence in these areas is our continuous aim.

What have been your biggest challenges along the way?

There have been many challenges in each organisation that I have worked in, but all are pretty common.

Remaining cost competitive and providing a fantastic customer experience is what keeps us in business, and is critical to continued growth in the UK manufacturing industry.

In addition, winning the hearts and minds of people and engaging them to continuously improve is a big test. If this can be achieved with the majority, the momentum that follows will be significant.

What’s been your biggest highlight or achievement so far?

In 2017, Nufarm were awarded the Chemical Industry Association’s Company of the Year Award; which was a huge achievement for the whole UK team.This was the culmination of a three-year journey to operational excellence; which saw us achieve best in class against our competitors and peers. Of course, our journey to operational excellence hasn’t ended and we are all working hard to continuously improve.

From a personal perspective, my biggest achievement has been to see stakeholders recognise that HR is key to successful business performance, when previously they have questioned the tangible value that HR can add. There is nothing more satisfying than a leadership team that embraces the people agenda as the enabler for success, and I am proud to work for a company and leadership team that shares the same values as me.

What is the key to furthering continuous improvement?

Accepting that we must continuously improve in order to stay ahead of the competition. If we don’t, the competition will catch up and “eat our dinner”.

It is also important that people don’t think that continuous improvement is purely a production and engineering initiative. All our business functions at Nufarm are encouraged and empowered to improve their interactions, processes and behaviours in order to reduce unnecessary waste and cost.

What can people expect from your talk at the conference?

My talk will be very open and honest – a warts and all tale about how to engage people on the journey to operational excellence.

It will cover what we’ve got wrong and how we have learned from that, and what we have got right and the tangible results that have followed.

You can catch Mark speaking at The Manufacturing Institute’sFramework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, with tickets available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Denis Paris

Head of production systems - Solutions that Facilitate Change

Introducing Denis Paris: Head Of GSK Production System

Ahead of The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework for Excellence conference, we’re

talking to some of the speakers and industry experts who are set to star at the event.

Here, Denis Paris of GSK discusses how their evolutionary production system is helping to drive important change at a global pharmaceutical company.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I’ve been Head of the GSK Production System since the start of 2017, but I’ve been with the company for more than four years now.

Most of my career has been spent in the automotive space. I started on the process side of things with Citroën on a big site in France, before moving to smart technology producer Valeo where I took on various roles around the world.

I have been an Engineering Manager in France; Supply Chain and Production System Director in Japan; Plant Manager in Czech Republic; and Site Director in Thailand; before returning to Europe as a General Manager.

Japan was a particularly interesting time for me. It was here that Valeo introduced a production system and I was part of the team that helped to unveil this change. This was a great experience.

What does operational excellence mean to GSK?

We don’t actually use “operational excellence” as a label here at GSK. We use “production system” instead.

This involves the support of accredited specialists and lean techniques, enabling us to become more connected to the customer and continue to remain in an enterprise position.

What have been your biggest challenges along the way?

The biggest challenge for me personally was learning about the pharmaceutical industry as well as GSK itself.

It was very different to my previous roles, so it required some adapting. This was especially difficult when you consider that we are in a highly innovative industry where everything moves quickly.

For the company, the number one challenge remains maintaining and improving quality and compliance. There always needs to be processes in place to deliver these high standards.

What’s been your biggest highlight or achievement so far?

Seeing the growing success of the production system. Five years ago, we didn’t have this in place so this has been a real achievement.

The continuous implementation of this system means that definitive movement has now become possible. Safety and quality have both increased. We are really starting to see some more focus and better results.

Are we the best business in the pharmaceutical industry? Not yet. But our production system is of a very high quality and we have the opportunity to keep improving.

What is the key to furthering continuous improvement?

One of the things we are doing more of now is looking outside. We are following processes like benchmarking and other similar activities to note how far we’ve come.

We keep an eye on developments elsewhere, take part in conferences, and make sure we are always learning from our journey. It’s all about constant evolution and taking the action to make sure this is possible – synchronising the company to absorb change whenever it is necessary.

Every quarter there is something new in the industry, and the production system has to keep progressing with it.

What can people expect from your talk at the conference?

I am still working on the title, but the story I’d like to share is the evolution of our production system, explaining how it is possible to shift from a fundamental, young model that people are familiar with to the more holistic system we have now at GSK.

You can see Denis deliver his lecture at The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, with tickets available here [LINK]. You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Charlotte Dickerson has been working at technology multinational Ricoh for 20 years, playing a key role in transforming the UK’s manufacturing sites through increased employee engagement.

After gaining extensive experience in Human Resources, Charlotte eventually took on responsibility for continuous improvement at Ricoh. She now leads the transformation programme towards Industry 4.0 maturity, keeping the community engaged in the journey.

Charlotte will be discussing employee engagement in greater detail alongside her colleague Rob Bland, exploring the ways in which their site has strengthened connections with staff and changed the business for the better.

As a leading European manufacturer with a reputation for luxury, high-quality products, Volvo remain one of the biggest names in the automotive industry.

Jan Berg has played a key role in many of the transformative steps taken to effectively serve Volvo’s worldwide customer base as Production System Manager. The automobile giant is striving for sustained improvement in the coming years – with aims to further integrate a working culture that ensures operational excellence and greater results.

At the conference, Jan will be discussing the aspect of setting and surpassing operational standards in relation to his own experiences – which is sure to be a truly insightful experience for guests.

Devro is one of the world’s leading suppliers of collagen casings and film for food. Their key focus has always been on people – from their customers to their employees. They have a 2,000-strong team across the globe, and have been operating since the 1960s.

As Enterprise Excellence Manager, George Donaldson has drawn on his extensive operational excellence experience gained in previous roles to help Devro accomplish their aspirations. The company aims not only to achieve Shingo Prize recognition for Operational Excellence, but to also continuously engage employees and better their business.

Having won the Shingo Prize for a former employer, George’s expertise will be essential in helping Devro achieve its goals. At our upcoming Framework For Excellence Conference, George will be putting the spotlight on employee engagement and the importance of recognising its potential.

Ipsen’s vision is to become a biopharmaceutical leader focused on innovation and specialty care. The company operates in over 115 countries, and has been developing products to improve lives for almost 90 years.

As Executive Vice President of Technical Operations, Aidan Murphy has been a fundamental part of driving change, optimising processes and reenergising company culture within the business. Ipsen is aiming for every single team member to believe in the company’s vision and want to succeed. This cultural transformation is helping Ipsen to produce even better results.

Aidan will be demonstrating the importance of people on the journey towards transforming company culture.

Sarah Jardine has transformed the working culture, approach, and operations of Optos in the past decade, repositioning the business as a leading manufacturer of ultra-widefield retinal imaging devices.

As Senior Director of Manufacturing, Sarah is responsible for providing leadership and direction for staff in Optos’ manufacturing facility, and has a strong understanding of CGMP and lean methodologies. Her spectacular work has earned her a place as Chairperson of the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service, as well as a member of the Strategic Leadership Group for NMS, the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland (which is part of the Scottish government’s manufacturing action plan).

Sarah will be discussing the evolution of Optos as a business and the role she’s played within it.

Brian Holliday is the Managing Director of Siemens Digital Factory, which provides customers with a comprehensive portfolio of products that allow for the effective integration of data from development, production and suppliers.

A proud and vocal supporter of British manufacturing, Brian champions the industry in a wide variety of ways, serving as Chairman for the Electronic Systems Council whilst sitting on the board for the manufacturers’ association, EEF.

Brian will be analysing how companies can become more competitive in the sector through the deployment of technology. He will also examine the benefits of automation in manufacturing, and how businesses can use tech to become more cost-efficient whilst delivering higher standards.

Mark Davies has worked in a wide variety of positions in the manufacturing sector over the past two decades – currently heading up Human Resources for the UK & Ireland at global agrochemicals manufacturer Nufarm.

organisation Ultraframe, Mark has developed a wide understanding of what good HR looks like. He has been instrumental in laying the foundations for people development, which has ultimately led to increased performance across the metrics of safety, quality, cost, delivery and morale.

Mark’s talk will address one of the biggest challenges every manufacturing business will face: “Engaging People On The Journey To Operational Excellence”.

With more than 24 years’ experience in global manufacturing, Denis Paris is one of the most insightful personalities in the industry.

Having worked on sites in France, Japan and Thailand during an illustrious career, Denis currently heads the revolutionary production system at pharmaceutical giant GSK – the business’ very own continuous improvement model.

Denis will be telling the story of how the GSK Production System has evolved over time, and what is required to develop holistic solutions that facilitate change.

Want to see how a ten-year operational excellence journey has completely transformed a business for the better? Eager to understand the workings of a culture with continuous improvement at its heart? The Manufacturing Institute’s exclusive best practice visit to Ipsen on 21st March 2019 takes delegates into the world of a thriving manufacturing site.

Take this rare opportunity to tour through every aspect of Ipsen’s global manufacturing and supply organisation in Wrexham, and discover how this world-class biologics manufacturer got every member of its 375-strong team to share its vision to ‘Be the Best at improving people’s lives’.

Delegates at the best practice visit will get the personal experience of learning how launching the Organisational Excellence programme has allowed Ipsen to improve customer service, and enhance patient’s and people’s lives.

Achieving double-digit sales figures for the last eight years, Ipsen demonstrates that continuous improvement is the trigger to long-term triumph.

Ipsen Executive Vice President of Technical Operations, Aidan Murphy, says: “We’ve partnered with The Manufacturing Institute for several months now, and we’re thrilled this gives others an insight into our best practices.

“Engaging our team to have the continuous improvement mindset means that every member is thinking strategically and systematically.

“Our ambition is to be a leading global biotech company focused on innovation and specialty care, and visitors will get to see how our culture puts us on the path to this. The tools and methodologies we’ve implemented have allowed us to save £2.8m this year.”

If you’re looking to see success in action, you’ll learn an invaluable amount with The Manufacturing Institute’s best practice experiences.

A Journey To Operational Excellence: Milliken European Airbag Products

As part of The Manufacturing Institute’s highly anticipated Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, we’re inviting delegates to participate in a number of site visits hosted by businesses leading the way in operational excellence.

We’re delighted to confirm that Milliken European Airbag Products will be welcoming visitors to their Bury site on 21st March, offering delegates the chance to see airbag products and protective textiles produced effectively. Here, Milliken European Airbag Products’ Director of Operations, David Murray, explains more.

Tell us about Milliken European Airbag Products

Our site is part of an international company that employs 7,000 staff worldwide. We are responsible for the performance products – producing airbag textiles for the European automotive industry.

We have around 150 staff here on-site managing a 24/7 operation on a four-shift system.

Originally a textiles business, we moved into airbag fabrics and continued to develop over the past 25 years, with three generations spanning several countries (with an HQ in South Carolina).

Producing 24 million sq m of airbag fabric, we are officially one of the largest fabric suppliers in Europe. Our efforts contribute towards saving over 15,000 lives every year, as well as preventing life-changing injuries.

What challenges did you face in the move towards operational excellence?

The journey towards operational excellence was launched by the last family owner, Mr. Milliken. He was passionate about continuous improvement, and began to endorse benchmarking via Total Productive Maintenance (TPM).

Concentration then turned towards the shop floor, including improvement ideas and initiatives. Cost competitiveness proved to be the main challenge en route, and we are looking to improve every day.

What have been the key milestones and achievements along the way?

The 2009 economic crash was a turning point. Following this, we made the decision to halt manufacturing and not overproduce.

We lay quiet for three months or so, then the market came back. We kicked off again with the right products – learning an important lesson early on.

That kind of education and experience permeated through to the people on the shop floor and the company survived – unlike some competitors who continued to produce during tougher times.

What should delegates expect from their site visit?

They will see a system with strong foundations and safety at the forefront. The fact that we’re a world leader in safety in the textiles industry will be evident – as will our passion and high levels of engagement on-site.

Delegates will also see an excellent example of visual management. Effective communication has seen our site labelled the ‘Best in Europe’ for Milliken – on par with the best plants in the US.

Milliken European Airbag Products are taking part in The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference as a site visit host, and you can get involved by booking your spot now.

You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

A Journey To Operational Excellence: Müller

As part of The Manufacturing Institute’s highly anticipated Framework For Excellence Conference [LINK] in March 2019, we’re inviting delegates to participate in a number of site visits hosted by businesses leading the way in operational excellence.

Here, Site Plant Manager of Müller Minsterley, Patrick Bourke, takes us on a virtual tour of this dairy supplier’s facility – which attendees will be able to witness in the flesh come the final day of the conference.

Tell us about Müller and your key roles as Site Plant Manager

Müller Minsterley is a production site that’s part of Müller Yogurt & Desserts, and is one of three sites in Shropshire.

As Site Plant Manager, I’m accountable for running the factory 24/7, along with my reports into the Senior Leadership Team (including a Head of Engineering, Operations and Quality). My direct report is to the Operations Director, who looks after the three Müller Yogurt & Desserts sites in Shropshire.

What challenges did you face in the move towards operational excellence?

Before we joined the Müller Group, the site had been very close to closing on several occasions. Subsequently, we’ve had to lay new foundations for ourselves. In the past sixteen years we’ve had a strenuous journey, encompassing three previous owners prior to Müller’s takeover in 2013. When we were bought and became part of the Müller Group, it meant a lot of changes and challenges in personnel to try and gain some stability back at the Minsterley site.

There was a considerable amount of movement, which meant it was difficult to implement an operating system. The main challenge was to control costs throughout the change in ownership, and in 2014 we participated in a manufacturing audit to provide a benchmark that helped us to realign our goals.

Along with the new ownership, the Müller Group essentially allowed us to begin again, engaging in module training and building the base knowledge back up from scratch. It has been a challenging process, but well worth it as we continue to strive for improvements.

What have been the key milestones and achievements along the way?

Six years ago, the site was just about breaking even – but with an increase in volume, our position has improved dramatically. In 2014 we were a high level two, however with determination we have developed our site and our people to become a high level three.

There’s a strong sense of ownership among our staff and we’ve used that to our advantage. The focus and commitment levels here now are really high.

What is next for the site on their journey to operational excellence?

We’ll continue to follow the manufacturing guidelines, as these are a great tool to develop first line managers. In addition, keeping everyone involved in the audits and building these values into our overall goals keep our focus on the journey.

For us, it’s not necessarily about awards. It’s more about using the tools to benchmark effectively. We’re at the stage now where we can get the right people in to keep improving as an organisation.

With the fundamentals underway, we can now focus on enhancing continuous process improvement and looking at how we add value to our business in different ways – it’s an exciting time for Müller Minsterley!

What should delegates expect from their site visit?

They’ll see that it’s very people-driven. They will also realise that the dots are all joined up, with excellent visual management and lots of good information. Everything is knitted together here, and we follow a very clear process.

Delegates will get the opportunity to see our processes in action on the shop floor and above, seeing how we work on the business, as opposed to working in the business.

Müller are taking part in The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference as a site visit host, and you can get involved by booking your spot now [LINK].

You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free white paper [LINK].

Global manufacturer of dairy products. Müller is a dairy company with the will to win, the drive to succeed and the ambition to get there.

Worldwide: 12,000 employees

Ministerly: Part of the Muller Yoghurts & Deserts Division

Visit to: Experience state of the art dairy plant with the ambition and aspiration to build a truly diverse dairy business which is the best in the UK.

A Journey To Operational Excellence: Knauf Insulation

As part of The Manufacturing Institute’s highly anticipated Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, we’re inviting delegates to participate in a number of site visits hosted by businesses leading the way in operational excellence.

Here, Plant Manager David Atkinson tells what delegates can expect when they choose Knauf Insulation in St Helens for their site visit on the final day of the conference.

Tell us about Knauf Insulation and your key role as Plant Manager

Knauf Insulation is the UK’s leading provider of high performance, sustainable Glass and Rock Mineral Wool insulation solutions. With more than 40 years of experience in the insulation industry, it is one of the fastest growing and most respected names in insulation worldwide.As part of the Knauf Group, a €6,5bn turnover multi-national family-owned manufacturer of building materials and construction systems, Knauf Insulation employs more than 5,500 employees and has 38 manufacturing sites in 16 countries, with a turnover of €1,7bn in 2017.

In the UK, the company employs over 500 people at its three manufacturing plants, where Cwmbran’s and St Helens’ plants manufacture Glass Mineral Wool, whilst Queensferry’s plant manufacture Rock Mineral Wool.

As the only UK manufacturer of both Glass and Rock Mineral Wool insulation solutions, Knauf Insulation is uniquely placed to provide the best insulation solution for each application.

As the Plant Manager in St Helens, I am responsible for all aspects of this large facility. My area of responsibility ranges from manufacturing, engineering, warehousing, and ensuring we work within out Health, Safety and Environmental obligations whilst maintaining a cost effective and efficient plant that will be present in St Helens for many years to come.

What challenges did you face in the move towards operational excellence?

With a constantly changing marketplace, both home and abroad, and a focus on customer demands, we need to be able to deliver the best quality product at the right time.

Operational Excellence plays a huge part in this:

It helps us develop an engaged workforce that operates in the most economical way with everyone working towards the same objectives;

As the challenges faced are both internal and external to the facility, it helps us become a behaviours-orientated business that allows for consistent and predictable outputs.

Engaging the workforce remains the main challenge. This is essential in improving company performance. This is supported through workshops, Gemba walks, communication hubs and family orientated activities outside of work.

What have been the key milestones and achievements along the way?

We are one of the key reference sites within Knauf and have been recognised as leading the way in Operational Excellence.

The aim of Operational Excellence is to improve and sustain performance of all processes. There has not been any step-change approach, but many 100s of wins along the way that are noticeable when visiting our site.

What is next for the site on its journey to operational excellence?

The upcoming Shingo assessment is set to be fundamental for us in creating a plan for further improvement.

We have in-house assessment processes in place, but having an outside agency such as The Manufacturing Institute perform an assessment with fresh eyes will be crucial for us as we take our next steps towards Operational Excellence.

What should delegates expect from their site visit?

It’s a very interesting facility here. We’re one of the longest-standing sites in the UK and one of the most impressive too – with a fully functioning, high-standard operation in place.

Delegates will see the various ways in which we are working towards becoming the best factory in the Knauf Group.

Knauf Insulation is taking part in The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference as a site visit host, and you can get involved by booking your spot now.

You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Workforce Engagement Driving Knauf Insulation

If you’re attending The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference, there’s a great opportunity to see a high-performance manufacturing facility in action at Knauf Insulation in St Helens.

The site is one of three Knauf Insulation facilities in the UK, manufacturing a range of sustainable, high-performance insulation solutions for all applications in commercial and residential buildings, in addition to solutions for HVAC, industrial applications and fire protection, green roofs and bespoke applications.

The St Helens site is one of the oldest manufacturing site in the country. Currently it is amongst the top performers within the Group. The team on site have implemented a range of continuous improvement processes (such as value stream mapping) to prevent breaking stride in their charge towards operation excellence.

Visible manufacturing will be on display, with delegates able to see the work that goes on in the workshops and on the factory floor.

“We are very focused on people engagement here, and I think that’s one of the key things that will stand out when delegates come to visit,” says David Atkinson, Plant Manager for Knauf Insulation’s St Helens site.

“We have a strong relationship with The Manufacturing Institute, and they are set to perform a Shingo assessment in the coming weeks which will contribute immensely to the site’s continual improvement.”

Knauf Insulation is taking part in The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference as a site visit host, and you can get involved by booking your spot now.

You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

A Journey To Operational Excellence: Waters

As part of The Manufacturing Institute’s highly anticipated Framework For Excellence Conference in March 2019, we’re inviting delegates to participate in a number of site visits hosted by businesses leading the way in operational excellence.

We’re delighted to confirm that Waters Corporation have agreed to welcome visitors to their Wilmslow site on 21st March, offering manufacturers the opportunity to peek behind the curtain of an organisation that is thriving on lean principles and enterprise excellence – with a focus on driving continuous improvement.

Our Wilmslow site develops Mass Spectrometers, which have the capability to find and identify chemical components of a sample, and to measure those elements to less than one part-per-billion. That is roughly the same as detecting one drop of food dye in a 50m swimming pool.

Our products are used by big pharma companies to develop and manufacture safe drugs; food and beverage brands to check for contaminants, fraud, and accurate labelling; government and Olympic committees for forensic analysis; universities; chemical manufacturers; materials producers and a host of other industries for R&D, quality control and product safety applications.

Product Assurance sits between instrument design and development functions, supporting manufacturing processes and ensuring systems are reliable and reproducible.

What challenges did you face in the move towards operational excellence?

One of the biggest tasks has certainly been raising awareness within middle management of the value of operational excellence and what this brings to the company.

We’ve also worked hard to build stronger engagement with operational excellence from top-tier of management on site.

All leaders recognise the concept and its benefits, but they have previously been too far removed from its tangible elements. We are changing this.

What have been the key milestones and achievements along the way?

We have seen several significant benefits to the business across all of its levels – the main change being the improvement in quality and speed of production on-site.

One of our most noteworthy achievements has been reducing the time spent on product lines by 25% through operational excellence.

What plans do you have to further continuous improvement in your organisation?

The support we receive from The Manufacturing Institute is instrumental in continuous improvement here at Waters.

Effective communication between the top and grassroots layers is key to further development within the organisation, and this is something we will continue to work on in the future.

What should delegates expect from their site visit?

Delegates will be impressed with the building. It’s very modern and slick, and you can tell from the moment you walk in that this is a great environment in which to spend your working day.

Visitors will also see pockets of enterprise excellence and continuous improvement in action all over, and it’ll be clear to every visitor that we’re a business on a journey.

What are the top things delegates will see on-site?

Our remit here at Waters is to “Deliver Benefit”, and we do this by conforming to our vision, mission and values (which were defined to help us serve the markets and products we choose to invest in). These values will be visible on-site.

Delegates will also see the enterprise-focused behaviours and attitudes of staff – all of which embrace authentic, agile, outward-thinking and customer-focused approaches.

What is next for the site on their journey to operational excellence?

Historically we’ve been a siloed organisation with three main engines; RDE, Operations & Marketing, but as we continue on our journey towards operational excellence our focus is on breaking down those silos – ensuring any barriers become porous. We will celebrate our successes as a whole organisation.

Waters are taking part in The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference as a site visit host, and you can get involved by booking your spot now.

You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free Whitepaper [LINK].

See Enterprise Excellence In Full Flow At Waters

International manufacturing corporation Waters are inviting you to visit their Wilmslow site on 21st March as they host a site visit in conjunction with The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference.

Getting to look inside Waters’ location and see their operations unfolding is a rare and prestigious opportunity for manufacturers, as one of the organisations exhibiting enterprise excellence in the UK.

The business produces a range of analytical system solutions, software and services for science and healthcare companies, with lean enterprise processes working behind the scenes to ensure high quality across the board.

Product Assurance Manager, Tim Harford, says: “We are striving to implement operational excellence into the culture of the company so that we live and breathe it all the time.”

“Our remit here at Waters is to ‘Deliver Benefit’. We do this by conforming to our vision, mission and values, and instilling enterprise-focused behaviours and attitudes in our staff from the top to the bottom of the organisation.

“Whilst Waters is not a household name, visitors to our site will undoubtedly be taken aback upon learning the important role we play in each of their lives.”

Waters are taking part in The Manufacturing Institute’s Framework For Excellence Conference as a site visit host, and you can get involved by booking your spot now.

You can also read more about operational excellence by downloading our free whitepaper [LINK].

Conference day 3

21st March 2019

Opening statement

On the third day of the Framework for ExcellenceConference we are hoping to offer delegates the opportunity to visit manufacturing sites that bring to life the ‘Framework for Excellence’ whitepaper and Conference messages through facilitated one-day visits.

The visit will be facilitated by the Manufacturing Institute representative and is designed to both maximise learning for the visiting delegates and provide valuable improvement opportunities for the host site.

BEST PRACTICE VISITS

Global manufacturer of world-class pharmaceutical products.

UK team size: 375

Wrexham campus: Biologics development and manufacturing

Visit to: Experience the tools and methodologies for continuous improvement and Ipsen’s own organisational excellence programme.

More than 40 years of experience Knauf are one of the fastest growing and most respected names in insulation worldwide, committed to helping customers to meet the increasing demand for energy efficiency and sustainability in buildings.

St Helens is a large Manufacturing facility, high operational hours, 24/7operational hours 365 days per year, 160 + manufacturing staff

Visit to see and experience a strong CI culture in practice. Consistently high levels of performance against key metrics and results.

Manchester city centre is just 8 miles from the Worsley Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club. The city centre is jam-packed with unique and eclectic restaurants, bars, shops, museums, galleries so there is plenty on offer.

Food & Drink

From fine dining and afternoon tea to pop-up markets and humble street food, Manchester City Centre is packed with options to suit any mood offering any and every cuisine you can think of. Why not try foodie destination, the Corn Exchange, or experience contemporary pub, The Pilcrow at Sadler’s Yard. Experience local produce or one of Greater Manchester’s independent and quirky coffee shops. This city is a haven for vegan and vegetarian cuisine, and is fit to burst with a number of halal options too.